


He Brought the Message: An Exclusive Interview with Alliance Hero Bodhi Rook

by AstriferousSprite



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Interviews, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-28 04:31:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10823799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstriferousSprite/pseuds/AstriferousSprite
Summary: The Hosnian Times scores an interview with Commodore Rook two years after the war ends.





	He Brought the Message: An Exclusive Interview with Alliance Hero Bodhi Rook

**Author's Note:**

> A retelling of [For Want of a Pilot](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10658865) from the point of view of the article itself.

By Rahna Matuli

_Mela 12, 7 ABY_

As a war journalist, I’m no stranger to rebellion; for years, I’ve been stationed with the Alliance army, recording their battles and interviewing their soldiers. Never, however, have I had the chance to converse with a Rebel during times of peace. So when I had the exceptional opportunity to interview Bodhi Rook himself, I naturally could not refuse.

So here we are, on the second spring after the Republic victory, and I’m face to face with one of the bravest men in the entire galaxy.

The Commodore is cordial; he shakes my hand as soon as he walks into the room, insisting that “the pleasure’s all [his].” His infamous ponytail is present; faint scars line his face and exposed arm, the other having been replaced with a sleek black prosthetic; a burn mark lingers around his right eye from the blast on Scarif that nearly took his life. In short, he looks every bit the hero that I imagine him to be.

Of course, he’s more than just a fighter. Rook’s memoir _I’m the Pilot: How One Man Changed the Course of History_ has recently hit shelves, and has immediately become a galactic bestseller; he seems flustered when I begin praising it as well as his accomplishments. He seems especially overwhelmed that the Chancellor has offered to write the foreword. “She kept talking about, you know, bravery and accomplishment,” he says, fiddling with his fingers, “and said the honor would be all hers to take part in the story of one of the most courageous…” He nervously chuckles, not able to finish the sentence. “Oh Force, it sounds weird saying it myself.”

His insecurity hardly comes as a surprise; _I’m the Pilot_ begins with the quote, “I had always doubted myself, and today was no exception.” Rook himself admits that his Imperial service may have been a serious blow to his sense of self, calling it “soul-sucking.” “You were assigned an ID, and that would be the only thing anyone would refer to you,” he explains, with dread in his eyes. “You weren’t a person, you were your job. Expendable.” He adds that since he defected to the Rebellion seven years ago, his self-esteem has improved, joking that “it’s so much less objectifying to hear your superior say ‘Oy, Corporal Rook!’ rather than ‘You, zero-three-nine!’”

We laugh; the threat of war no longer hangs over our head night and day, and it feels safe to poke fun at the old regime.

“I think the real shift happened when I was promoted,” he says once we’ve calmed down. “Being in charge of a group of people… they look up to you, and at the same time, their lives are in your hands. So you’re forced to reconcile with the fact that you have worth and status, and you have to use your power wisely.”

In hindsight, the Commodore putting up a fight against the Empire doesn’t seem like much of a surprise. Not only is he the brother of two insurgents and the son of another, as well as the brother of Alliance Commander Fayza Rook, he claims to be descended from Jedhan freedom fighters, whose story is eerily similar to recent events. “When the Sith were occupying Jedha for its Kyber,” he says meekly, as if having a long line of heroes in one’s family is nothing extraordinary, “my mother said our ancestors fought back against them.” With a twinkle in his eye, he adds that “in a way, I’ve always had a bit of rebel in me.”

“Had your family influenced your decision to defect at all?” I ask, wondering how far the chain of Rook rebels goes.

Rook confirms this with a nod. He describes his fear at being asked to become Galen Erso’s messenger, at not knowing what to expect. “But then, you know, I thought of my father, and my sisters,” he says, with a sort of melancholy in his voice. It is then that I remember that he and Fayza are the only members of the family left alive, with everyone else having died at the hands of the Empire. “At least they went down following their beliefs. So I figured I they could be brave, maybe I could, too.”

He continues by talking about how he first contacted the then-partisan Fayza about his plan to defect—all in code, of course, since he “didn’t know if the Empire was listening.” “We had this code,” he openly explains, now that the need for secret messages is no longer a top priority. “I’d bring up a phrase that [Fayza] knew was bantha, and immediately she’d know to interpret all my lines in reverse.” Famously, this is exemplified in _I’m the Pilot_ where the trigger words were “I miss Aunty Naima.”

“And she knew it was code,” I say, “because you didn’t even _have_ an aunt named Naima.”

He laughs.

Behind the easygoing manner, though, there remains some self-doubt on his part. Rook admits that he almost didn’t go through with the plan to defect from the Empire. “It wasn’t easy,” he says, looking down at his hands.

Outside our Lothal City hotel room, birds cheerfully sing, and I remember how the Empire had once considered firing the Death Star at Lothal. I can only imagine how this day would have been different for both of us had Rook not delivered that message.

Because despite his doubt, he _did_ go through with the plan. And even after nearly perishing, he joined the Alliance as a starfighter, eager to continue his fight. “Many would call that bravery beyond words,” I tell him. “Frankly, Commodore, I’m in awe of your courage.”

“Thank you,” he whispers.

My next question is, once again, tied to his novel—however, the passage is not only long, but a personal favorite of mine, so I offer to read it aloud. Rook agrees, though hesitantly (he will later confess that he’s very self-conscious about hearing his own writing read back to him). It is a lovely paragraph where he artfully compares himself to the old proverb; _for want of a bolt, the drive was lost / for want of a drive, the ship was lost,_ and so on, until _the battle is lost / and all for the want of a hyperdrive bolt._ Rook insists that it was his own “loosening” that “began the undoing of the Empire,” and concludes with the message that even an individual can be vital.

He’s the bolt.

“Now that’s a sequel in the making,” I say, and he laughs. The tension is broken. “And speaking of sequels, do you plan to remain with the New Republic Navy?”

“No, I think I’ve had enough of fighting,” he says. I nod; as someone who’s been on the frontlines recording the most gruesome damage, I can only sympathize too well. Rook lays out his plan, settling down with his husband Cassian to farm on Fest. “Can’t escape my farmboy roots,” he says with raised eyebrows.

Farming isn’t the only thing in his future, however. “We have a daughter,” he says, with warm eyes. “Her name’s Shira. Cassian and I decided that there’ve been too many orphans left over from this war, so any small step to lower that number his helpful.” He sighs fondly. “I couldn’t imagine ourselves without her.”

It seems that even away from the frontlines, our pilot will never stop extending his hand to those in need.◻️

_**This article was originally featured in The Hosnian Times.** _

**Author's Note:**

> man I'm just emotional about Bodhi ok


End file.
